Thousands of students across the country are bringing poetry to life by competing in this year's Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest. This is the contest's fifth year, and it is growing rapidly, influencing thousands of high school students to learn and perform poetry. Kristin Margolis, the California state contact from the California Arts Council, said that "there is an incredible demand for the program, with 300,000 participants nationwide this year." "California has the most competing in the nation," Margolis said. "We will have 40,000 students from 27 counties, which is a big jump from the 24 counties that competed last year and 20 counties the year before that." The progr

Students help harvest fruit from neighbors to supply area food banks Gleaning effort facing possible shut down   By Maria L. Lopez & Randy Stannard Saturday, Feb. 20, 2010 at 9:30 a.m. More than 50 students from Theodore Judah Elementary School and community volunteers will walk from their McKinley Park area campus to harvest fruit from their neighbors’ yards for local food banks on Saturday, Feb.20. Volunteers will receive an orientation at 9 a.m. and expect to begin walking to residences by 9:30. Judah is located at 3919 McKinley Blvd. Last weekend, volunteers walked to neighbors’ homes to ask for permission to gather the fruit. Randy Stannard of Harvest Sacramento, and a coordinato

As California’s deep budget cuts smash Sacramento State professors and students with furlough days, fee increases and terminated classes, money woes are also slamming a non-profit firm on campus. University Enterprises, Inc. reported an estimated $8.79 million shortfall in its projected and actual revenue for the fiscal year which ended June 30. This is UEI’s account of last year’s reductions: lease revenue, $3 million; investments, $4.1 million; retail sales, $1 million; copy and graphic, $.12 million and contracts, $.57 million. UEI operates the campus bookstore, copy and food services, administers contracts, provides grants and acquires and renovates properties. According to executive

A swarm of children took over the Capitol Tuesday to defend education in the face of massive budget cuts.  Ranging in age from eight years old to 18 years old, students from all over California sought to answer the question, "What is the purpose of public schools?" The Children's Rally, coordinated by Sandra Tsing Loh, an author and member of the Burning Moms organization, is a congregation of young students as participatory citizens in the political dialogue of their state legislature. The Burning Moms originated as a group of parents, fathers included, who had frustrations about the education system in California. “I'm a Proposition 13 baby, and my children continue to be affected by

The SCUSD Board of Education voted 5 – 1, with 1 abstention, to drastically reduce summer school programs for the next two years - effective immediately. The decision eliminates all programs for elementary and middle school students, and reduces summer school for high school students. In addition, special education programs will be reduced and adult school programs will either be reduced or converted to a fee based system. The decision will also impact almost 300 district employees, some of whom planned to report to work as early as today. In her opening statements, Interim Superintendent Susan Miller stressed that the budget for this and next fiscal year was balanced as of May 14th, but

One of the keys to serving local communities effectively is supporting existing institutions that already provide valuable services. The Sacramento Food Bank is one such institution. This past Saturday, Game Plan Academy (GPA) students assembled alongside GPA mentors, Jesuit High School alumni, teachers, students, parents, and staff as part of a GoDoGood project.  The mission of GoDoGood is to capture people's energy to 'do good' and put these passions into action in local communities. The Sacramento Food Bank provides an excellent outlet for Sacramentans who want to 'do good' for those in need in a well-organized, structured, and warm, supportive environment. GoDoGood brought a talented,

On Sunday, March 15th, Game Plan Academy (GPA) launched at Hiram Johnson High School. Thanks to the generous sponsorships from Positive Coaching Alliance (www.positivecoach.org), Wells Fargo, and Avanti Restaurant Solutions, what was five months ago a clear vision with a windy path ahead, is now printed logo-wear, yard-markers, test-prep materials, and a group of forty student-athletes working to improve their performances on the field and in the classroom. A local, grassroots initiative, GPA attempts to equip students with a "game plan" for life. Spanning eight Sundays, students receive structured SAT preparation, focused college counseling, and rigorous athletic training. Working with

Look out, Governor Schwarzenegger! Thousands of angry students are yelling at your front door.   Today at the Capitol, college students from all over California gathered to speak up about their frustrations in this year’s ‘March in March’.   At 10:00 am, a crowd of thousands from all over the state started marching from Raley Field towards the Capitol. The passion of the students could be felt in the air during the walk.   “What do we want? EDUCATION! When do we want it? NOW!” “You say cut that, we say fight back!”   These were just a couple of the many chants that could be heard throughout the crowd. Anybody with functioning ears within a ten-block radius could probably hear the screa

Sacramento has produced a number of world class athletes - Dusty Baker, Bill Cartwright, Debbie Meyer, and of course Mayor Kevin Johnson to name a few. But what's to be said about young athletes who have talent, but not the means to be successful? A group of seven successful Sacramento athletes, including former NFL players Gio Carmazzi and Alex Van Dyke are now back in Sacramento to help steward underprivileged high school athletes to succeed not only in sports but also in life. Their organization, Game Plan Academy (GPA), will be holding an eight-week camp on Sundays from March 15 through May 10 at Hiram Johnson High School. It will focus on recruiting from schools with low Academic Pe

If you are at a loss for what to do this weekend you may be interested in knowing that Sacramento State is putting on a show for a reasonable price. The Vagina Monologues will be performed in the University Union at 7pm on the 19th, 20th and 21st. Tickets are $8 for students and $15 for general admission. They are available at the Sac State ticket office or at tickets.com The proceeds will benefit the Sac State Violence and Sexual Assault Support Services Program and the SHARE Institute. I was able to experience the fun last year and the performances were incredible. Word around Sac State is that this year’s show is the best they’ve ever had. So please, if you are looking for a good l